By Thalif Deen NEW YORK | 21 March 2024 (IDN) — As the disproportionate death toll of Palestinian civilians reach over an estimated 30,000—in retaliation for the October 7 killings of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas—there is a continued growing demand for the suspension or restriction of US arms to Israel. The US, which is the […]
Smearing Ceasefire Protesters, Pelosi Combines Devotion to Israel with Cold-War Mania
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 30 January 2024 (IDN) — Sometimes there’s a thin line between vile demagoguery and pure idiocy. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi straddled both during a Sunday (28 January) appearance on CNN, when she smeared protesters who’ve been demanding a ceasefire to end Israel’s slaughter of Palestinian people in Gaza. “The former […]
Gaza Genocide? UN Chief Says International Court Has to Decide
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 17 November 2023 (IDN) — Are the killings of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza an act of genocide or “genocide in the making”? According to a legal definition, genocide includes violent attacks with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious […]
Indigenous Communities in Kenya Face Eviction by Environmental Profiteers
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 13 November 2023 (IDN) — Kenya’s government is illegally evicting members of the Ogiek community from their ancestral lands in the Mau Forest, to profit from carbon offsetting schemes, human rights lawyers say. Members of the Ogiek community say they’re living in “absolute fear” over the […]
New Report Examines Racism and Racial Discrimination in the UN System
By Shihana Mohamed* UNITED NATIONS | 31 October 2023 (IDN) — In 2020, the UN Secretary-General made formal acknowledgement that racism exists within the United Nations in 2020. He said, “Racism is the repudiation of our common humanity—of the Charter of the United Nations—of all that we are and all that we do. We must […]
Australia Referendum Exposes Flaws of Democracy Architecture
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY | 17 October 2023 (IDN) — The resounding defeat suffered by the Australian Labour Government on the 14 October referendum to amend the constitution to recognize the “First Australians” (indigenous people) exposes the flaws in the Australian democratic architecture, especially the role of social media and concentration of media ownership […]
UN Human Rights Council: Russia Loses, China Wins Narrowly
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 11 October 2023 (IDN) — The UN’s 47-member Geneva-based Human Rights Council (HRC) has had a longstanding notoriety for having several so-called “repressive regimes” and “authoritarian governments” as its members—elected by the 193-member General Assembly. At the elections, held by secret ballot on 10 October, the 15 new members […]
UN Human Rights Council: Are Inmates Taking over the Asylum?
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 5 October 2023 (IDN) — When the 193-member General Assembly (GA) elected some of the so-called “repressive regimes” as members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in a bygone era, US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher remarked: “The inmates have taken over the asylum”. And, as an after-thought, he added: “I […]
Human Rights Activists Facing Threats in 40 Countries for Cooperating with UN
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 29 September 2023 (IDN) — Be warned: If you are a human rights activist or an individual cooperating with the UN in revealing abuses, you may be under surveillance or in danger of facing physical threats. A new report from Secretary-General António Guterres says that from 1 May last year […]
Iceland Imports Foreign Workers but Does Not Employ Asylees
By Lowana Veal REYKJAVIK, Iceland. 19 September 2023 (IDN) — Facing a shortage of workers in the hospitality and construction sectors, Iceland has started importing foreign labour while at the same time refusing to give employment permits to asylum seekers. Since early August 2023, at least 58 asylum seekers have been deprived of accommodation, food […]